Protect your neck and back up your data

You can also use Time Machine, Apple's automatic backup tool that comes with every Mac.

Do some basic housekeeping

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If you have old apps taking up space on your hard drive, go ahead and take the opportunity to uninstall them. We like a utility called AppZapper.

Update third-party apps

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Make sure you're running the latest version of all the software that you use on a regular basis. The easiest way to do this is run Software Update by clicking the Apple symbol in the top left of your screen. You should also check the Mac App Store to see which apps you need to update.

There's only one place you can get Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion will only be available as a download from the Mac App Store. This will be the first time Apple doesn't use a physical disk or drive to distribute a new Mac operating system. Stay tuned to SAI and we'll tell you when you can start downloading.